Bankotsu and Kagome: An Interesting Couple
by NarutoxSakura007
Summary: Tired of Inuyasha, Kagome leaves him. While walking off, she runs into Bankotsu. Joining him, Kagome helps him find the jewel shards instead. Now, Kagome is suprisingly content with Bankotsu. Could it be she's falling for him? BanxKag
1. Chapter 1

Kagome had had enough with Inuyasha. He had pushed the junior high student too far. She was sick of the half dog-demon comparing her with his beloved Kikyo and criticizing everything she did. She did not have a problem with Kikyo; she had actually gotten to know her better recently and felt a sisterly attachment to her. What she did have a problem with was constantly being in Kikyo's shadow to Inuyasha. Today, after having her cooking skills compared to Kikyo, she had finally snapped.

"SIT!" she shrieked.

Inuyasha plummeted to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?!" he growled.

"I'm tired of you Inuyasha! I'm leaving!" she cried.

"You're going home!? he growled. "You can't go home!"

"I can do what I want!" she yelled at him.

As she began to stomp off, she noticed the half-demon getting up, as if to follow her.

"Don't you follow me!" she hissed.

This stopped Inuyasha in his tracks. Turning on her heel, she stormed off into the forest.

As she walked, she felt herself cool off a little.

_Inuyasha just must be upset because of the Band of Seven,_ she thought.

The Band of Seven had just recently been revived and were already wrecking havoc everywhere.

_That still doesn't excuse his behavior_! she thought angrily.

Just then, a cold wind started blowing. Kagome shivered and hugged her arms. She was wearing her school uniform, which offered little protection against the cold.

"I sure wish I hadn't left camp now," she mused to herself.

"It's too late now though. I don't want to see Inuyasha ever again!" she sighed.

"Then that makes two of us."

The voice that spoke made Kagome stiffen.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

The voice was so familiar. Kagome recognized it a moment later. Whirling around, she saw Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven, step out of the shadows. The young mercenary was in his usual armor, with his long black hair pulled back into his usual braid and he had Banryu resting on his shoulder.

"Ban - Bankotsu!" Kagome stammered.

"So you do recognize me! I'm flattered!" he said.

"Now what would a girl like you be doing all the way out here, helpless and unarmed?" he asked.

With this last statement, Kagome panicked. He was right: she had left her bow and arrows back at the camp. As Bankotsu walked up to her, she cowered where she stood. When he was right in front of her, he stopped and looked at her. Kagome was confused as to why he didn't attack her.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" she managed to ask.

"Why, do you want me to?" he laughed.

"No, I won't kill you. I might have uses for you."

"What are you going to do with me?" she whispered.

Bankotsu smirked at her.

"I would think that would be obvious. You can find the sacred jewel shards for me and pour my sake. Besides, having a pretty girl for a companion sounds enjoyable," he responded.

Kagome didn't want to know what he meant with what he had last said.

"Furthermore," he continued," I know that Inuyasha doesn't want or need you because he has Kikyo."

Kagome knew that his words were entirely true. She had hoped against hope that Inuyasha would change his mind and need her more than Kikyo. But, in her heart, she knew he never would.

"Also, I heard what you said," he said.

"I know you don't want to be with him either."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed.

"Everything you said is true."

She gasped when she felt him grab her arm and pull her towards him.

"Come on, we're leaving," he said.

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and began to walk. The two dark-haired

Humans, a priestess and a mercenary, walked out of the clearing, leaving everything Kagome knew in the Feudal Era behind them.

**Hey guys! This is my first story ever so be nice but please offer any criticism on the way I write so I can improve it to your liking. I'll be adding other chapters later. See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

It seemed like they had been walking for a long time to Kagome. They hadn't said anything to each other, giving Kagome a chance to think over everything that had happened in such a short time. First, she had been sadly making lunch for her wonderful friends and cruel half-demon companion. Then, she had angrily stormed off from camp to go away and cool down for a bit. Now, she was traveling with a deadly mercenary who intended to use her to find the sacred jewel shards.

_Don't forget to mention a handsome, deadly mercenary_, she couldn't help but think.

She couldn't resist looking at Bankotsu as he walked a little farther ahead of her. She had her eyes locked on the purple four-pointed star on his forehead, which she had to admit was sexy. She had also been disappointed that he walked with his eyes closed for the most part, so she could not get a good look at his pretty blue-gray eyes. When he finally did open them, he turned and looked right at her. Quickly, she turned away, but apparently, not quick enough.

"Hmm. Like what you see do you?" he asked.

Blushing she didn't dare look at him. When she finally thought he had looked away, she looked at him again. He was still watching her and smirked when he saw her look his way.

"Keep close. We're almost there," he told her.

Walking right behind him, she could feel herself brushing against his armor. She could hear the sounds of familiar voices and laughter up ahead.

"Bankotsu!"

"Big Brother!"

Kagome heard the sound of people approaching. She peered around Bankotsu to see Jakotsu, Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Ginkotsu walking up. Jakotsu reached them first.

"Bankotsu! How did it go? Did you – why is she here?!" he demanded after seeing Kagome.

As the other members locked their eyes on her, she hid behind Bankotsu, her hands clutching his shoulders.

"She's coming with us. She will find the rest of the sacred jewel shards for us," he responded.

"Come on. Let's get going."

He began to walk to the head of the group, leaving Kagome behind. Not liking the eyes of the other four members on her, she scurried after him.

"What will we do now Big Brother?" Renkotsu inquired.

"We are going to find a village and have some fun," said Bankotsu, without looking back.

"Yes!" Jakotsu cheered.

Suikotsu grinned evilly, Ginkotsu chuckled, and Renkotsu gave a small smile. Kagome shivered slightly at their reactions. She heard the clanking of Ginkotsu stop, as she supposed some of them would be boarding him. She let out a sharp intake of breath when Bankotsu picked her up by the waist. He hoisted her up onto Ginkotsu and then leapt up beside her. The others followed suit. Seeing Suikotsu and Jakotsu sit down, Kagome cautiously slid down to sit by Bankotsu's feet. She anxiously awaited whatever lay ahead of her, as she pulled her knees up and rested her head on them.

**Wow! Another chapter done! Hope you like it! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**To those who sent me ideas, I thank you so much and I will take this to heart when I write. Now, on with the story!**

Awhile later, Kagome was awoken from her daze by Bankotsu's voice.

"Alright men! The village is in sight! Do as you please!" he shouted.

He looked down at Kagome.

"You're coming with me girl," he said.

Nodding her head, she warily stood up. Bankotsu quickly picked her up and leapt onto the ground. He took off running almost as soon as his feet reached the forest floor. Kagome felt somewhat excited and terrified. She was very scared to be with a killer who was on his way to slaughter an entire village. On the other hand, she was very excited to be in the arms of Bankotsu. She had always secretly admired him for his strength and bravery, even when they weren't together. But now that they were traveling together, she felt as if her heart was filled with butterflies. Bankotsu was holding her the way Koga used to and it was rather enjoyable for the modern-day priestess. The combination of the gray, cloudy sky and being in Bankotsu's strong arms was making her tired. She decided that his chest would make a perfect pillow. Though she wanted to do this, she wasn't sure how he would react. She refrained herself and just did nothing for the time being. When he finally stopped running, Kagome looked around at her surroundings. There was a rather large village in front of them, which she knew was his target. She was very disappointed when he put her on the ground. She had enjoyed being carried by him. She didn't notice when he looked at her crestfallen face.

"Don't worry. There will be plenty more times you can press yourself against me," he said.

She gasped and looked up at his face to see him smirking at her. Blushing profusely, she said nothing and looked away. She was distracted by a swarm of soldiers flowing out of the village.

"Good. Time for some fun!" Bankotsu commented.

He lifted Banryu up over his head.

"You might want to stay close to me," he told her.

"Okay," she responded.

She stood behind him and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see what was about to happen. She heard the clang of metal and the sound of things dropping. The slaughter was over in a relatively short amount of time. She opened her eyes and saw blood and dead bodies everywhere. She was surprised at how ell she viewed this scene. Bankotsu, who had been standing in front of her, turned around to face her.

"You know, I don't like to see you disappointed so I'll pick up where we left off," he said.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest. Kagome felt her face flame up at being so close to him.

"Well, let's get moving," he said while walking, still holding her tightly to him. They two walked around for a while, Bankotsu occasionally shifting through debris around them. Kagome couldn't tell what he was after, but she could tell he was looking for something.

"Ah, here we are!" he said excitedly.

He grabbed a barrel hidden in the rubble. He walked it and Kagome over to a clear porch of what used to be a house. He sat down and opened the barrel. The smell that hit Kagome's nose was a very strong one. She didn't recognize it or the liquid it belonged to.

"What is that?" she asked Bankotsu.

"Sake. What else?" he happily responded.

Taking a sake bowl and pouring himself some, Bankotsu contently sipped his drink while still keeping Kagome pulled close to him. Kagome sighed.

_This is going to be an interesting period of my life,_ she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I want to let you know that I am trying to put your ideas in my story but I write this story in class at school so I have a full notebook with this story. It might take some time for me to work around this so until then, enjoy! By the way, I might have made Bankotsu into a pervert so you'll have to deal with that in this chapter! Now, to continue the story!**

**I in no way own Inuyasha or Okami (I used a quote from the video game). **

After the rest of the Band of Seven had "had their fun", as Bankotsu put it, they had all met up with Bankotsu and joined him to drink sake. They all told each other stories of how they had killed their victims, which Kagome did not like the least bit. After they had drained the barrel of all of its sake, they got up and continued their journey. Spending this first day with the Band of Seven, Kagome was very uneasy. Ginkotsu looked and acted very strange. Jakotsu was constantly giving her dirty looks. Suikotsu didn't really interact with her that much, but when he did, he just stared at her which made her uncomfortable. Renkotsu completely ignored her, which she really appreciated (A/N: The other Band of Seven members won't always be so mean. They will come around later.). She had only spent a short time with them and she had already decided that she only liked Bankotsu out of all of them. When they finally stopped to make camp, she distanced herself from the others and stayed close to Bankotsu. She noticed, as they all began to eat, that she was covered in dirt and blood. What she wanted more than anything was to take a bath. She finally stood up after she saw everyone other than Bankotsu was obsessed in their own conversation.

"Bankotsu?" she started.

He turned his head and looked at her.

"I would like to go down to the stream to get a drink and wash my hands," she said.

"Okay," he consented.

"Just don't get lost."

Nodding her head, Kagome took off for the stream. As soon as she got there, she took a long drink of the cool water. Then, after finding a warmer section of the stream, she took off her clothes and got in. She sunk into the warm water, letting herself relax. Since she didn't have any soap, shampoo, or conditioner on hand, she simply scrubbed her head and body with her hands. While she was halfway out of the water scrubbing her head, there was a crashing in the bushes and Bankotsu flew into the clearing. The two looked at each other's faces for a moment; then Bankotsu looked down. Kagome looked to see what he was staring at when she remembered she was standing up in the stream, topless.

"AAAAAHHHH!" she cried, sinking back into the water to cover her chest. Blushing a deep red, she recognized she had totally flashed him. He had just stood there looking at her; he didn't even look away! He was still just standing, there staring at her.

"What are you doing here!?" she cried.

"You told me you were just going to get a drink and wash your hands! You were taking a long time, so I came to see if there was a problem and then I found you in there naked!" he explained.

"You could have just told me this is what you were going to do!"

"Well, it would have sounded weird if I had told you that!" she said.

He was silent and just stared at her. It took a while for Kagome to realize that he wasn't looking at her face but through the crystal-clear water at her chest. Blushing even deeper, she hugged her shoulders, covering herself up.

"I'm getting out now," she announced.

Bankotsu didn't move.

"Turn around so I can change!" she called out to him.

"Whatever. It's not like I didn't get a good look already or anything," he called out to her with his back turned.

Fuming embarrassment at his words, Kagome dressed as quickly as she could into her clothes. When she was done, she walked over to him. He turned around and looked her straight in the eye.

"Done?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

As they walked, Bankotsu spoke to her.

"You know, that was a very appealing sight I just saw," he said.

She gaped at him as he smirked and cast a long look at her chest before continuing to walk.

_I never knew he was such a big pervert_! she thought to herself.

"Come on Busty-babe! Keep up!" he called from ahead.

Kagome blushed yet again. She gave herself a self-conscious look before hurrying to catch up to him.

_I don't have that big of a chest, do I?_ she asked herself.

Bankotsu spotted her looking at her chest. He smirked to himself as they headed back to camp.

**Wow, this was a hard chapter to write! I couldn't stop laughing while I wrote this so that's what took so long to put it up. I'll try to update soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Due to bad grades, I have not had the chance to update for a while. Now that I'm back, I'll let you know this chapter is not all that important to the story and I found it rather boring to write, but I had to write it.**

That night, Kagome watched the others as they all got ready to go to sleep. She wasn't sure what to expect, seeing as she had never seen them sleep .Jakotsu lay on Ginkotsu while Renkotsu lay beside Ginkotsu. Suikotsu had his back propped up against a tree and Bankotsu just lay down in the clearing. Choosing to stay away from the other four Band of Seven members, Kagome made her way over to the opposite side of the clearing. She lay down and found herself drifting softly to sleep………… when suddenly, a snap of a branch nearby jolted her awake. Glancing at the others, she saw that all of them had heard it too and were watching the trees next to her. The bushes began to rustle until a little yellow cat with red eyes, two tails, black ears, and a black diamond-shaped mark on her head stepped out.

"Kirara?" Kagome called.

The little two-tailed firecat demon looked right at her before bounding over to her.

"Kirara!" Kagome exclaimed as she scooped up the demon.

Kirara pressed her head against her and mewed in greeting. Kagome heard footsteps and looked up to see Bankotsu looking at the firecat in her arms. She gave him a pleading look, making him sigh and cave in.

"Alright. It can stay," he decided.

Kagome was ecstatic.

"Thank-you Bankotsu!" she said to him.

After he walked away, she lay back down and let the cat demon curl up next to her. She let out a content sigh before falling asleep.

The next few days weren't much different than the first. The Band of Seven went through a routine of eating, killing, talking, talking about killing, drinking sake, and sleeping(A/N: Except for the killing and talking about killing, that's my ideal kind of life!). With Kirara with her, Kagome found these days much more enjoyable. She now had someone else to talk to besides Bankotsu. Even if Kirara couldn't respond to her, it was still comforting to have her with her. That's why it upset her to have to do what she knew she must. Finding paper and an ink brush in a village they had destroyed, Kagome had wrote a message to Sango. She had wrote to Sango to tell her of her current situation. She had said not to worry, not to come looking for her, to tell Miroku and Shippo, and not to tell Inuyasha. She rolled up the note and attached it to Kirara's neck with a spare handkerchief she had. Carrying Kirara, Kagome walked a little ways away from camp. She set Kirara down and looked her in the eye.

"Kirara, I need you to take this to Sango. Go right to her and don't come back to me. Understand?" she said.

Kirara mewed in acknowledgement. Kagome felt herself choke up.

"I'm going to miss you Kirara," she managed to say.

Rubbing the firecat's head, she felt sadness overcome her.

"Be careful Kirara."

Kirara raced off into the grass in front of her. Kagome waited until she could no longer see or hear Kirara before heading back to camp.\

**Man that was boring! But it was necessary. I had been thinking wouldn't it be weird if Kagome suddenly left and disappeared for a long time and Miroku, Sango, and Shippo didn't really seem to care or make any effort to locate her? I just needed to make sure the other characters in Inuyasha's group stay out of the picture for a while because it's just going to be Bankotsu and Kagome for the next few chapters! Yeah! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm rolling on with this story! Here we go!**

With the departure of Kirara, Kagome felt incredibly sad. She could no longer confide her troubles to anyone but herself. The other band members all shot her dirty looks or glared at her. Her only source of comfort now was Bankotsu, but because the other band members where around, she didn't get to spend that much time with him. It was a very bizarre feeling but Kagome began to get angry when she saw Jakotsu talking flirtatiously with Bankotsu. Though she knew he was straight, Kagome couldn't help but think of beating up Jakotsu.

_Am I feeling………… jealous?! _ she wondered.

_No, I can't be………... can I?_

Kagome knew she was but wouldn't admit it. She simply kept it to herself and watched through narrowed eyes at Jakotsu and Bankotsu.

_I wish everyone else except me and Bankotsu would just go away! _She thought angrily.

Kagome got her wish. One day, while she was pouring Bankotsu his sake, they all got up on Ginkotsu and drove off, leaving behind only Kagome and Bankotsu. When Bankotsu was finished with his sake, he picked up Banryu and stood up. She followed his example and got up as well. Both of them set off in the opposite direction of the others.

"We aren't following them?" she asked.

"No, we aren't," he said.

"They're on their way to kill Inuyasha. I'm sure you don't want to be there when that happens."

"Oh, okay," she said.

Suddenly, she felt a shock go through her.

"A sacred jewel shard!" she whispered.

"What?" Bankotsu asked her.

"I sense a sacred jewel shard!" she told him.

"Where?!" he asked.

"Over there!" she said, pointing to their right.

Both mercenary and priestess took off to find the shard. They both ran until they came to the edge to of the woods. A demon had managed to get the shard and stood in front of them with its back turned.

"Girl, where's the shard?" Bankotsu asked.

Glad he had dropped the nickname"Busty-babe", which he had been calling her since the other day at the spring, she answered him.

"In his neck," she said.

The demon heard them and turned to face them. He ran at the both of them. Bankotsu easily beheaded it with his Banryu.

"That was too easy," he complained.

"I wish it had been stronger."

He swiftly lifted the shard out of the demon's neck with Banryu, Catching the jewel shard in his hand; he turned and started to walk away.

"We are done here," he said.

Catching up to him, she walked beside him.

"If you sense any more shards, tell me," he said.

"Uh… Bankotsu?" she started.

"Yeah?" was his only response.

"I've been meaning to give you this," she managed to say.

He stopped instantly and turned to look at her. Taking a deep breath, she took the little bottle off her neck and handed it to him.

"Here," she said.

She was shocked to see his face look a little crestfallen.

"Oh…," he simply said.

"This is what you wanted to give me?"

"Yes," she said confused.

"There are my sacred jewel shards in that."

"Oh. Yeah, that's great!" he said, barely masking what she thought was: _disappointment?!_

Then it hit her.

_He was thinking something perverted!_ she thought.

She stared at him for some time before he caught on to her.

"What?!" h demanded.

"You were thinking something perverted, weren't you?" she pried.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't," he responded while walking away.

Kagome just stood there looking after him.

_He's just like a little kid!_ She thought.

"Are you coming or not?" she heard him shout back to her.

Shaking her head, Kagome raced after him.

**Wow! This was much more fun to write than the last chapter! Please review**!


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I finally got around to posting a new chapter! I've had to deal with an extremely difficult science project so please enjoy this chapter!**

The two humans trekked along through the forest. Kagome and Bankotsu hadn't said much to each other the whole time they had been walking. They both seemed deep in thought. When they came upon a small village, Kagome only then snapped out of her thoughts. She waited until Bankotsu had finished killing everyone before following him into the village. She still didn't approve of his passion for killing people, but she had learned to deal with it, knowing he wouldn't change his ways anytime soon. She found him drinking sake, Banryu lying on the ground. She walked over and sat near him.

"Why is it that you are always drinking that?" she asked him.

"Why? Because I feel like it," he replied.

"You can't tell me you don't like the taste of sake."

"I wouldn't know. I've never had any," she told him.

"Never?! Well, now might be the time to start," he said, offering her a bowl of sake.

Kagome gingerly took it and stared at its contents.

"Well….. I suppose a little wouldn't hurt," she said.

Taking a sip, she found it to be very satisfying.

"Wow! This is really good!" she said.

Bankotsu grinned at her and filled her bowl up with some more…………..

**2 Hours Later…….**

Kagome felt light-headed and incredibly cheerful. She had lost count of how much sake she had consumed. She and Bankotsu had been having a great time talking, drinking, and laughing. After laughing at something Bankotsu had said to her, she felt herself getting very tired. She looked over at Bankotsu, who was sitting right next to her, to find him looking very calm and awake. He looked at her and laughed.

"This is your first time drinking and you are totally wasted!"

Kagome stuck her head up indignantly.

"Well, I for one feel great! I don't know what you mean by wasted, handsome!" she said.

Bankotsu smirked at her.

"I like you when you're drunk!" he said.

"Well I like you all the time, drunk or not!" Kagome said with a smile.

Bankotsu raised his eyebrow at this but said nothing. Kagome let out a deep sigh and rested her head on his chest. Bankotsu wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She scooted closer to him and pressed her back against his chest. She didn't say anything for a long time. Bankotsu looked down at her to find her asleep (A/N: or knocked out; either one you like). Bankotsu grinned to himself.

_She said some pretty interesting things just now_, he mused to himself.

_I'll have to bring this up later with her_, he thought with a devilish smirk.

Bankotsu contemplated this as the night steadily progressed.

Kagome woke up with a terrible headache. She guessed she was experiencing her first hangover. She attempted to lift herself up but failed and fell back down. She felt her head lying on something warm and comforting. Looking over, she saw that her pillow was actually very familiar looking armor. Kagome was looking down at Bankotsu, who was still asleep. She had fallen asleep on him! Embarrassed, Kagome managed to pull herself up only to be pulled back down. She looked over at Bankotsu.

"Don't move. I'm not ready to get up yet," he sighed.

Glad he couldn't see the blush on her face, she laid her head back on his chest. She closed her eyes and felt herself slipping back into sleep.

**Well here it is! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**All right folks, I'm rolling on with the story! **

When Kagome woke up again, she found Bankotsu and her in the same position. What was different now, though, was that Bankotsu's hand was on her back. She wouldn't have paid any notice to this if his hand had been on her sweater, but he had his hand _under_ her sweater, touching her bare skin underneath. She lay there, shocked at finding this. She reached back and removed his hand before rolling off him. She straightened her kerchief and pulled on her shoes. She waited patiently for Bankotsu to wake up. When she felt like going back to sleep, he finally stirred and got up. The two of them set off, together, walking silently next to each other. Kagome let out a big sigh. She was depressed because Bankotsu wasn't talking and because he had his face turned away, so she couldn't hear his sexy voice or look at his handsome face. As she walked, she gaped when she felt something on her legs. She looked to find herself tangled in a large thorn bush.

_Oh great!_ She inwardly groaned.

She vainly tried to escape but found the thorns held her tight.

"Are you having some difficulty?" a coy voice asked.

Kagome's head snapped up to see Bankotsu standing in front of her, barely holding back his laughter at the situation he had found her in. Indignantly, she forcefully pulled herself out. She did make it out, but at a price. A loud ripping noise was heard from behind. Kagome closed her eyes.

_Oh no!_ she screamed in her head.

She turned around to find her skirt ripped badly in several places. Feeling her face turn red, she looked over at her companion to find him holding himself up with his Banryu, almost doubled over in laughter. Furious at herself for making her look like an idiot in front of Bankotsu, she quickly started walking past him. Moments later, Bankotsu joined her, a large grin across his face.

"Great. Well I was thinking about wearing a new outfit anyway," Kagome sighed.

"Why? I like it. It leaves much to the imagination," Bankotsu said.

Kagome say him look at her skirt and knew what he meant. Blushing furiously (A/N: she does that a lot in this story, doesn't she?), she turned her back away from him and looked at his face. She found him smirking at her.

"Besides, I think you look very cute in it," he added.

All her anger was replaced with joy.

_He thinks I'm cute!_ she exclaimed in her head.

_Yes!_

As she celebrated in her head, she was shocked to feel something on her hip. She looked to see Bankotsu's hand there. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. Kagome felt thrilled by his actions. The two humans walked along together, but enjoying their current situation.

Bankotsu and Kagome had been traveling together for 3 weeks. During that time, Kagome had not seen any of the other Band of Seven members. She wasn't complaining though. She liked it better when it was just her and Bankotsu. One day, both of them had stopped to rest. Kagome had managed to find a needle and thread to sew up her skirt. As she finished her mending, she looked over at Bankotsu to find him asleep. She quietly made her way over to him. She kneeled by his side and looked at his sleeping face. She admired everything about his face: to her, it was perfect. She reached out with one hand and trailed her fingers over the purple star on his forehead.

_How can this be the face of a killer?_ she asked herself.

"He's so handsome she mused aloud.

She was shocked to feel herself pulled down into Bankotsu's lap. She looked up at his face to see his eyes open, looking right at her.

"That felt nice, you stroking my face just now," he remarked.

"And it's nice to know you think I'm handsome."

Kagome felt her face heat up.

"I, uh… I…," she stuttered.

Bankotsu smirked at her.

"Okay so what if I do? That doesn't mean anything!" she cried.

"No, it doesn't. But I also recall you saying that you like me," he said.

Kagome froze.

"When did I say that!?" she asked.

"You probably don't remember. You weren't sober," he told her.

"But, when you're drunk, you say whatever is on your mind, so you were thinking that you liked me."

Kagome was beyond embarrassed at this point. She didn't know how to get out of this situation. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't," she huffed, remembering how he had used those exact words against her.

Bankotsu smirked at her before reaching over and gripping Banryu. He stood up and hefted his halberd over his shoulder. Kagome was very disappointed to be back on the ground. She sadly stood up and looked at Bankotsu. She was surprised to see him looking so serious. He turned and looked at her.

"Your friends are coming this way," he stated.

Kagome froze. She quickly recovered her senses and ran over to Bankotsu. Grabbing his arm, she attempted to pull him with her.

"What are we standing here for!? We have to go!" she insisted.

"Go? You mean you don't want to go back to them, or even see them?" he questioned her.

"No, I don't! They'll try to take me away from you! I don't want to leave you!" she wailed.

Bankotsu looked at her in surprise. Then, recovering his senses, he nodded his head.

"All right. Let's go," he said.

Kagome was relieved. She hugged his arm and pressed her cheek onto his shoulder.

"Thank-you," she whispered.

**Wow. I hope that was long enough for you. The reason why I make these chapters so short is that I don't like sitting at the computer all day typing. Anyways, please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**OWWWWW**_**! I went to a school dance last night and my shoes killed my feet! Lucky for you guys, I suppose. Now I can keep writing. Anyways, it was worth the pain! I got to see my crush in a suit! YEAH!**

Bankotsu was glad Kagome had her eyes closed and couldn't see his face. He was positive he had a very smug look on his face. He scooped up Kagome in his arms and began to run. He didn't stop until they were far away from their antagonist (A/N: Wow, that's a big word. And to think, I thought that up on my own and without a dictionary!). He looked back to see no one in pursuit.

"Ha! Dog-boy couldn't keep on our trail!" he gloated.

"Don't worry. He won't find us now," he assured Kagome.

He was surprised to find her fast asleep. He stared at her for a moment; then he sighed and continued walking. He noted how light Kagome was; that could have been because he was so used to carrying Banryu but he didn't care. Walking with Banryu on his shoulder and Kagome in his arms, Bankotsu was very pleased.

_I've got an awesome sword and a beautiful girl in my arms: My life is great!_

He looked down at Kagome's face. He had always admired her for her appearance and personality, even when she was traveling with Inuyasha. Now that she was with him, he could openly admire her spirit and beauty (A/N: Interesting how Ban and Kag think so much alike. I didn't notice that until just now.). He had heard her sharp comments towards the other Band of Seven members and had witnessed her power first hand. He had also seen many pretty girls in his life, including Kikyo, but none really could compare to Kagome. Bankotsu continued gazing down at the girl in his arms. To him, she was more than just a companion. Though he tried to deny it, he knew he felt something strong towards her. What something, he didn't know. While he was contemplating this, Kagome stirred in his arms. Letting out a sigh, she pressed her head against his chest. Bankotsu smiled at this.

_Why is it I feel this way towards her? _he asked himself.

When he was with her, he felt so relaxed and trouble free. He had never felt this way with anyone before. As a mercenary, it was risky to show such emotions. But, currently, he really didn't care. He was fine with how things were and didn't intend to change them. Bankotsu shook his head to clear it of these thoughts before continuing to walk.

Kagome felt better after that close call with Inuyasha and the others. She made sure to stay close to Bankotsu, in case of something else like that happening. Or that was what she kept telling herself. She couldn't help but notice how friendly she had become with Bankotsu. She had been with him for close to a month now and was beginning to feel content with him. One day, as they were walking along, Kagome's peace was shattered. As she walked with Bankotsu, there was a huge eruption behind them. Kagome latched onto Bankotsu's arm

"Wh-What was that!?" she stuttered.

The source of the noise was coming closer. Kagome tightened her grip and pressed herself against Bankotsu. Trees crashed down from afar. Kagome closed her eyes and braced herself; she was inwardly wondering why Bankotsu wasn't affected at all by this. Suddenly, Kagome heard what she had been dreading.

"Big Brother!"

Kagome recognized the voice to be Jakotsu's. Her dread mixed with anger as she realized he wasn't alone.

_No, no, no! This can't be!_ her mind screamed.

Jakotsu came into view, followed by the others on Ginkotsu. The gay swordsmen raced up to Bankotsu, Suikotsu at his heels.

"Brother Bankotsu!" Jakotsu yelled.

"I'm so glad to see you!" he added flirtatiously.

Kagome felt her eyebrows knead in her forehead and a frown tugged at her lips.

"Hey Jakotsu," Bankotsu replied.

"Did you accomplish your goal?"

Jakotsu's face fell.

"No," he sighed.

"We met up with Inuyasha and his group twice but we barely laid a punch on them."

"We came to find you, Big Brother, to see if you had a battle plan ready for us," Suikotsu added.

"Well, I don't have one ready but I can certainly come up with one," Bankotsu said.

"Good. I want to meet up with Inuyasha again as soon as possible," Jakotsu sighed, as he went off into one of his sick fantasies.

Jakotsu suddenly noticed Kagome, who was standing in front of Bankotsu.

"Oh. I see _she's_ still here," Jakotsu said.

"Bankotsu, will you please let me kill her," he pleaded.

"No, I won't," Bankotsu said firmly.

Kagome felt a surge of satisfaction at the look on Jakotsu's face.

"Why not!? It's not like she is very useful," Jakotsu exclaimed.

"That wench is nothing but a nuisance!"

At this point, Kagome was furious. This was the exact reason she had left Inuyasha, for being told she was useless and being put down. Now Jakotsu was doing the exact same thing! Now Kagome had had enough.

"Excuse me," she said as politely as she could, "But I would appreciate it if you would actually talk to _me_ when you are insulting me, not someone else."

Jakotsu looked at her.

"Wench, I don't care what you want!" he hissed.

Kagome finally snapped.

"All right! That's IT!" she snarled.

"My name is Kagome! Not wench, not she: KAGOME! KA-GO-ME!" she yelled.

After she finished her rant, she looked at the faces of Jakotsu, Suikotsu, and Renkotsu to find shocked expressions on all of them. Bankotsu looked very amused.

"Well, now that that's been said," Bankotsu said,

Let's get moving."

As the rest of the Band of Seven followed, Bankotsu walked ahead with Kagome by his side. As they walked along, he spoke to Kagome.

"Uh… Kagome," he started.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Not that this is important, but, uh, you can let go of my arm at any time, you know," he said.

Kagome looked at his arm to find she still held onto him. She slowly released her grip on him.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"No, it's all right," he assured her.

Kagome noticed that the other Band of Seven members had not said anything since her outburst. She looked behind her to see them all watching her. She purposefully stared insolently back at them before looking away. She walked next to Bankotsu again and focused on the path ahead.

Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Jakotsu had been watching Bankotsu and Kagome from behind as they rode on Ginkotsu. They were all silent for a while. Finally, Renkotsu broke the silence.

"So that Kagome girl sure has had a change in attitude," he said.

"She sure has," Suikotsu agreed.

"Whatever. She's just a stupid girl; why are you talking about her!" Jakotsu seethed.

Just then, Kagome turned her head and looked at them. She continued to stare coldly at them for a minute; then she turned back to face forward.

"That was a cold face just now," Renkotsu stated.

"So what!? Stop looking at her, okay?!" Jakotsu hissed.

Renkotsu glared at him before turning away. Jakotsu jumped off Ginkotsu and walked stormily by himself. Suikotsu jumped off Ginkotsu as well and walked next to him.

"What's up with you Jakotsu?" he asked.

"Nothing," Jakotsu muttered darkly.

"I don't believe you," Suikotsu said flatly.

"You were fine just a little while ago. Why has that girl set you off like this?"

"Why won't Bankotsu just let me kill her?!" Jakotsu hissed.

"Why does he keep her alive?!"

"Because she can see the sacred jewel shards," Suikotsu said.

"And to piss off Inuyasha. Having her with Bankotsu and not him will infuriate him."

"Hmpf!" was all Jakotsu said.

He hadn't thought of those reasons.

"Anyways, just cool it, all right?! Bankotsu won't appreciate you trying to murder her," Suikotsu told him before going back to join Renkotsu, leaving Jakotsu by himself again.

_Stupid girl, causing all this trouble!_ he thought angrily.

_What does she think she's doing, getting all close to Bankotsu?!_

_Wait a minute!_ Jakotsu suddenly thought.

_What _is _she doing with him!?_

He looked up to see Kagome walking close to Bankotsu and talking to him.

_Could it be… could it be that she likes Bankotsu?!_ He thought.

_Hmm. I'll have to find out._

He looked up once more at the two people ahead of him before immersing himself in his own thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I'm back! Here's another chapter for you all!**

It was evening when they finally stopped to rest. Kagome made sure to keep her distance from the other three. She tried to stay close to Bankotsu but he was right next to Jakotsu, the person she least wanted to see. She silently watched them as they went about and prepared a meal. When they sat down to eat, Kagome beat Jakotsu to sit next to Bankotsu. He indignantly went to Bankotsu's other side and sat down. Over their dinners, they told Bankotsu stories of villages they destroyed. Kagome listened with little interest until the subject of Inuyasha was breached. Kagome hoped and prayed with all her might that Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were all right. And Inuyasha? She wasn't nearly as anxious to hear how he was. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard Renkotsu say they were all uninjured. They talked well through the evening.

As the sky turned a deep, deep blue, almost black, Kagome heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up and saw Jakotsu standing in front of her.

"I need to talk with you," he said.

"Alone."

Kagome was surprised he hadn't called her woman or wench. Then she remembered earlier. Kagome's surprise was almost immediately replaced with fear.

_What could Jakotsu want with me? _Kagome wondered.

_I know he is gay so I don't have to worry about anything like that, _she thought, relieved.

_Wait a minute! You don't think……….. No, he wouldn't try and kill me, would he?! _she worried to herself.

_No, Bankotsu wouldn't let him, _she tried to reassure herself.

_But who's to stop him if we are alone together, _she fretted.

Still, against her better judgment, she stood up and followed him. She'd just have to trust him not to kill her. They had only walked a short distance away from camp when Jakotsu stopped. He sat down on the grass and Kagome followed his example. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jakotsu spoke.

"You are probably wondering why I brought you out here, right?" he asked her.

"Yes," she answered him.

"Well…….. I just want to know why you left Inuyasha and your friends," he said.

Kagome was surprised he had asked her that. She looked up at the dimly lit stars in the dark night sky.

"I left because Inuyasha always compared me to the priestess Kikyo, who I'm the reincarnation of. He was always pointing out my faults and putting me down. He may not have realized what he was doing, but it really hurt me. Then Bankotsu invited me to travel with all of you and I accepted," she told him.

"So is that why you snapped at me earlier? Because I was putting you down too?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted.

"I had thought after I had left Inuyasha, I wouldn't have people, my "friends", putting me down like him. And then, when I heard it from you, I just got so angry and I took it out on you."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," she added.

"No, don't apologize. I don't blame you for getting angry now that I've heard your story. I should be the one apologizing, not you. So, I'm sorry," he said.

Kagome was stunned. Quickly recovering, she gave him a small smile.

"Thanks. I appreciate that," she said.

"One other thing," Jakotsu said.

He looked Kagome straight in the eyes.

"What's going on between you and Bankotsu?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean what is going on between you two! Do you like him?" he asked.

"Wh-What?!" Kagome stuttered.

She hadn't expected him to ask her that. But could she deny it?

"You do like him, don't you?" Jakotsu said knowingly.

"Well……… maybe just a little," she admitted, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Ha! I knew it!" Jakotsu celebrated.

"So tell me, what do you think- no, wait. Let's go somewhere else to talk about this," he said.

He grabbed Kagome's hand and took off in another direction, pulling Kagome with him. Kagome was relieved to see him taking her to a secluded pond. They both raced down to the water's edge. Jakotsu turned away as Kagome stripped off her clothes and got in and Kagome did the same for him.

"Ah. This is great!" she sighed happily.

She had been pretty wary about taking baths ever since the big incident with Bankotsu before.

"Now then," Jakotsu said.

"Tell me- what do you think about Bankotsu?"

Kagome thought over this.

"Well, I think he is very sweet and very handsome," she said dreamily, blushing a nice shade of red as she thought about him.

"I think he is very strong, brave, and a good leader."

Jakotsu stared at her, stunned.

"Wow. You've fallen pretty deeply for him!" he exclaimed.

Kagome said nothing but blushed a deeper red color, proving Jakotsu's statement.

"Also, if you like Bankotsu, what about Inuyasha? Don't you like him too?" Jakotsu asked.

"No, I don't like him like that," Kagome said.

"Wait a minute! So you don't like Inuyasha?" Jakotsu said.

Kagome nodded her head.

"So that means………..," Jakotsu said hopefully.

Kagome smiled.

"Yep. He's all yours," she said.

"YES!!!!!" Jakotsu yelled triumphantly.

Kagome giggled as Jakotsu did a little celebration dance.

"You know some thing Kagome? You're not bad! I actually like you!" Jakotsu said.

"So we are friends now, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. We're friends," Kagome said.

She was very happy she and Jakotsu had worked over their differences. It would be nice to have someone besides Bankotsu she could talk to. Kagome and Jakotsu talked well into the night before they got out, changed, and heade back to camp.

**So what do you think? I finally got Jakotsu and Kagome to be friends, like some of you suggested. Also, I have decided I am going to make another Bankotsu and Kagome story over the summer so you can await that! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow. My computer crashed. That really sucks. Anyways, here is another chapter for all of you.**

Kagome slept peacefully that night and woke up refreshed and cheerful. As the Band of "Seven" continued their journey, Kagome and Jakotsu chatted happily together. The other four were bewildered as to why they were getting along after they had been at each other's throats the day before until Jakotsu explained what had happened.

"Once we got past the issue of Inuyasha, everything is great between us!" he had said.

"Isn't that right Little Sister?"

_Little Sister._

Kagome liked her new nickname. It showed the friendship and trust that had grown between Jakotsu and her. Over the next few days, Jakotsu continually called her that and by then, everyone knew who he was referring to. On one particularly sunny day, the small band of humans made their way across the countryside. They all spread apart from each other as they walked, each enjoying their own privacy.

"Ah. What a perfect day! Right Little Sister?" Jakotsu called.

"Yes, it is Jakotsu," she called back.

"You know what would be nice right now? A relaxing break in the shade! How about it Bankotsu?" he exclaimed.

"No," was Bankotsu's curt response.

Jakotsu's face fell.

"Why not?!" he pouted.

"Because we've already taken four breaks at your suggestion today, and it's not even noon!" Bankotsu said, exasperated.

"Well, you know what?" Jakotsu said, not watching where he was going.

"When I collapse of a heat stroke, it'll be all your fault!"

"If you collapse of a heat stroke, we'll be moving much faster without you slowing us down, so you won't hear me complaining," Bankotsu said, earning a giggle from Kagome and a frown from Jakotsu.

"That's not a nice thing to say! And don't encourage him Kagome!" Jakotsu whined.

"Jakotsu, you should really watch where you are ----," Kagome started to say.

She was interrupted by a loud "AAH!" from Jakotsu as he plunged out of sight.

"------ going," she finished.

Kagome raced over to where Jakotsu disappeared. Turns out he had fallen off the top of a rather large hill. Kagome saw him at the bottom in a heap. She ran down to him as fast as she could without falling.

"Jakotsu! Are you all right?!" she asked worriedly as she saw sharp rocks dotting the hillside.

"Ow," was his only response as he pulled himself up off the ground.

"Jakotsu, your arm!" Kagome gasped as she saw the blood on his sleeve.

She was distracted by Suikotsu as he raced over to them.

"Jakotsu, let's see your arm," he said.

"No, it's fine. Leave it alone," Jakotsu said.

"You're lying," Suikotsu said flatly.

"Show me your arm."

"No! It's fine!" Jakotsu insisted.

"Come on Jakotsu. Just let us see your arm," Kagome coaxed him.

"No, it's all right!" he kept insisting.

As Kagome and Suikotsu both tried to grasp his arm, he shook them both off him.

"Go away!" he shouted.

He tried to run off, but was stopped by Bankotsu, who had just run down the hill.

"Jerk," Jakotsu muttered.

His sleeve was forced up and showed everyone a good view of his injury. He had indeed been sliced by a rock and had earned himself a nice gash across his arm.

"This is ugly. We should treat it with herbs and bandage it up to prevent infection," Suikotsu said.

Kagome was surprised by the change in his voice and looked over at him. She was even more surprised to see he had reverted back to his doctor form.

"Well, looks like you get to have your break after all," Bankotsu said, with an irritated sigh.

Kagome gave him a sympathetic smile and he couldn't help but smile back at her. They all trekked over to the sheltered shade of the trees. Once Jakotsu was situated comfortably against a tree, Suikotsu stood up from his inspection.

"I need to go find some herbs to treat any possible infection. Miss Kagome, would you consider helping me?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

The two of them walked off in search of the needed herbs. Kagome spotted a plant Kaede had pointed out to her before.

"That one over there. Doesn't that one reduce swelling?" she asked.

"Yes! That is exactly one of the herbs we need. Well-spotted Lady Kagome!" he exclaimed as he bent down to pick it.

"'Lady Kagome'? Why did you call me that?" she asked him.

"Because you are a priestess and a woman who deserves more respect than you have received," he told her.

Kagome felt pride well up inside her at his words.

"Thank-you Suikotsu," she said.

She helped him gather up the stalks of the plant he had picked.

"You know, you don't have to address me as 'Lady Kagome'. You can just call me 'Little Sister' like Jakotsu or 'Kagome' if you want," she told him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm positive," she responded.

"All right Little Sister. The other herb we need is over there. Let's pick that and then we can head back," he told her.

Once they gathered all that they needed, they headed back to the others. On the walk back, Suikotsu spoke to Kagome.

"You know Kagome, if there is anything you'd like to talk about or if you need help, you can always turn to me," he said.

"Thanks Suikotsu! I'll keep that in mind!" she said to him with a smile on her face.

Suikotsu smiled warmly back. When they reached their destination, they saw Bankotsu and Renkotsu returning with food.

"We figured since we'd be here a while, we may as well eat lunch," Bankotsu explained to Suikotsu.

"All right. I'll get to work on cooking right away," Suikotsu said.

"No Suikotsu. You tend to Jakotsu and I'll do the cooking," Kagome intervened.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure," she answered.

"Okay. But if you need me, I'll be right over there," he told her.

Kagome set out to work on cooking lunch as Suikotsu tended to the reluctant Jakotsu. She evenly divided the portions before distributing them to her companions. She first went over to Bankotsu, who immediately dug in.

"This is great Kagome! You rock!" he exclaimed.

Kagome felt her face heat up at his praise but managed to whisper a "Thanks," to him before moving on. Next up were Suikotsu and Jakotsu.

"This looks terrific Kagome! Thank-you so much!" Suikotsu praised.

Kagome smiled at him. She was glad to have made a friend in Suikotsu as well as Jakotsu.

"Yeah Kagome, it looks good; unlike some of the stuff Suikotsu makes," Jakotsu said.

Suikotsu scowled at him and Kagome giggled a bit before going off to the last two: Renkotsu and Ginkotsu. Renkotsu had his back to her as she approached.

"Renkotsu!" she called cheerfully.

He looked over at her vehemently.

"Here's your lunch," she said to him.

He continued to stare coldly at her. Kagome felt a shiver race through her spine. Quickly placing his food in front of him, Kagome left him as fast as she could. It was then Kagome realized her greatest threat. She may have made friends with Suikotsu and Jakotsu, but she also seemed to have an enemy too: Renkotsu. There was something about him she didn't trust. The way he had just acted proved her distrust in him. Kagome realized then that sooner or later she have a confrontation with him. She dreaded her premonition as she went off to eat her lunch with Bankotsu.

**Ooh. Conflict! Well I'll leave off here for now. It may take a while for me to update soon because of my crashed computer. I'm using my brother's laptop to write this so it's pretty difficult. Anyways, please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! I'm back after a major writer's block on this story. I hope you enjoy!**

Kagome was relatively comfortable with the Band of Seven. She had Jakotsu and Suikotsu, who were terrific friends, and Bankotsu, who she had become closest to out of all of them. Her only problem was Renkotsu. He always kept to himself and made no effort to be friendly. When he wasn't off by himself, he was with Ginkotsu, making it impossible for her to talk to or get to know the half-man/ half-machine. Kagome tried to stay away from Renkotsu and stay close to Bankotsu, Jakotsu, and Suikotsu. But no matter where she was, he was always there, watching her. One day, Suikotsu and Jakotsu had gone out looking for firewood. Shortly afterwards, Bankotsu stood up and began to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked him.

"I'm going to get some food," he replied.

"Oh, I'll come with you!" Kagome said, preparing to stand.

"That's all right. You stay here," he told her.

"B- but----," Kagome started.

_If he leaves, I'll be alone with Renkotsu!!_

"See you in a while," Bankotsu said, as he started to leave.

"Wait!! Bankotsu!!" Kagome called after him, but he was already gone.

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me."

Kagome froze before turning around. She found herself looking at Renkotsu, who was a couple of yards away, leaning against a tree. He opened his closed eyes and looked at her. Kagome felt fear begin to build up inside her. It rose even higher when Renkotsu started walking towards her. Taking slow, small steps, Kagome began to back away from him. Seeing her edge away, Renkotsu smiled.

"Why Kagome, you're not afraid of me, are you?" he asked.

He purposefully quickened his pace until he was standing two feet in front of her.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, trying desperately to keep any signs of fear or panic out of her voice.

"I'm telling you to keep quiet," he said.

"About what?" Kagome asked, bewildered.

"Don't play dumb!" he snapped.

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"I really don't know what you mean," Kagome said fearfully.

"Putting up an innocent front. Don't make me laugh!" he seethed.

"You can sense the sacred jewel shards so you know I have some!"

Kagome stared at him, dumbfounded. She had never noticed he had extra jewel shards, probably because she had spent most of her time avoiding him. But now, she could clearly see he did in fact have more than one shard.

"You really did not notice?! You really are clueless!" he laughed.

Kagome stared at him thoughtfully.

_Wait, if Renkotsu has more than one jewel shard, then that means he's been holding out against Bankotsu. Bankotsu must not know he has the jewel shards or he would have taken them already. So that means the only thing in his way of keeping the jewel shards……. Is __me_

Kagome looked down at the ground.

"You must have guessed by now that I don't want my 'dear' brother Bankotsu to find out about this. And since you're the only one who knows, and now that we're all alone, you need to be silenced," he stated.

Kagome froze at his words. She slowly looked up at him, horror-stricken. The look on his face was all she needed.

_He's going to kill me!!!!_

Kagome gasped as he reached for his weapons. She screamed as she was nearly hit by his fire. She took off running as fast as she could. She could hear him right behind her.

"Jakotsu!! Suikotsu!! Someone please help!!" she screamed.

"No one can save you now girl!" Renkotsu called out to her.

Kagome ran frantically, trying to lose the psychopath behind her. The fire-breather sent out a blast at her. As fate would have it, Kagome jumped out of the way just in time, falling on her stomach. She looked up to see him looming over her. As he drew closer, Kagome could think of only one person she wanted to see then. Using the last of her energy, she screamed out his name at the top of her lungs.

"BANKOTSU!!!!!" she shrieked.

"Give it up girl! That fool won't be able to save you now!" Renkotsu yelled as he swooped in for the kill.

Suddenly, out of the trees, someone shot out and barreled into Renkotsu. The person landed in front of Kagome, distancing her from her assaulter. Kagome recognized him from the back by his long, black braid and giant halberd on his shoulder.

"Ba- Bankotsu!!" Kagome gasped.

"End of the line Renkotsu," he said threateningly.

"Bankotsu! Back so soon?" Renkotsu said.

"Quit being stupid and cut the crap! I know you've been holding out on jewel shards. You thought if you gathered enough you could take me on and kill me. And then, you just tried to kill Kagome before she could ruin your plans. Unforgivable!!" Bankotsu said angrily.

"Well big brother! What are you going to do about it?! You can't win against me!!" Renkotsu said murderously.

He was distracted by the cracking of branches as someone approached. Moments later, Jakotsu and Suikotsu flew into the clearing.

"Kagome!" Jakotsu yelled.

He raced over to the fallen girl and kneeled beside her. Suikotsu stood next to Bankotsu, readying his claws.

"Renkotsu, you will die for what you done," Bankotsu said menacingly.

He pointed Banryu at Renkotsu.

"Prepare to die," he said.

"Kagome, don't look. Look away," Jakotsu advised her.

Kagome closed her eyes tightly. The sounds of battle sounded in front of her. Shortly there after, the sound of a body hitting the ground was heard. Kagome warily opened her eyes to find Renkotsu lying on the ground dead, blood spilling out of various wounds.

"Kagome, are you all right?!" Jakotsu asked frantically.

Kagome didn't respond. She focused her eyes on the ground and said nothing.

"Suikotsu, we need you!!" Jakotsu yelled.

Kagome heard Suikotsu race over to her. He kneeled down in front of her. He lifted her face to look at him, but she averted her gaze.

"Kagome, I need to make sure you are all right. Will you let me examine you?" he asked her.

She slowly nodded her head up and down to acknowledge him. He took her arm in his hands and began to inspect it. He checked her arms, legs, face, and neck for injuries.

"She seems okay injury-wise. She has a few burns on her arms, but they're not major. Jakotsu, I need you to check her abdomen. I think she'd be more comfortable if you check it," Suikotsu said.

Nodding his head, Jakotsu set to work. After Suikotsu had turned around, Jakotsu lifted up her shirt and looked for any injuries. Kagome sat quietly through his examination. Finally, after he was done and rolled her shirt back down, she spoke.

"Where's Bankotsu?" she whispered.

"Huh? Oh, he's with Suikotsu getting rid of Renkotsu," Jakotsu said.

"I'd like to see him," Kagome said.

"I want to see Bankotsu."

Jakotsu stared at her for a few moments before nodding his head.

"Okay. I'll get him for you," he promised.

After he had walked away, Kagome turned her attention back to the ground. Several seconds later, Bankotsu came running up to her.

"Kagome, what is it? Jakotsu said you were asking for me," he said.

Kagome didn't answer right away. She focused on the kerchief of her school uniform.

"I……….. I just wanted to thank-you for saving me," she said shakily.

Bankotsu kneeled down beside her.

"Don't worry about it. You should know that I'll take care of you," he said.

Kagome looked up at his face.

"I…. I w- was… so frightened!" she whispered as tears began descending down her face.

Kagome was shocked when she felt him pull her into a hug.

"It's all right Kagome. He's gone. He can't hurt you now," he assured her.

Her tears falling freely now, she cried openly in Bankotsu's arms as she hugged him back.

Jakotsu carried Kagome to their new campsite and hadn't left her side since. He had taken Kagome to a stream and had helped her wash off some of the dirt and ash on her. Afterwards, Suikotsu had treated had bandaged the burns on her arms. Jakotsu had helped feed Kagome her dinner and then proceeded to brush her hair. Kagome was feeling much better and was acting more like her old self. She was still in a state of shock, but that was to be expected after what she had been through. As she sat near the fire Suikotsu was feeding with wood, Bankotsu approached her.

"Kagome, will you come with me?" he asked her.

"Of course," she responded.

He helped her stand up and lead her away from Jakotsu and Suikotsu, who were throwing pieces of unused firewood at each other. When they came upon a grassy clearing, they both sat down, side-by-side.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

"Still hurts?"

"Just a little," she answered him.

He remained silent for a long time afterwards. Kagome sighed and looked at her feet.

"I'm glad."

Bankotsu's voice brought her out of her daze. She looked over at him. He was staring intently at the sky.

"I'm glad I got to you in time. For a moment, I thought I was too late," he said.

Kagome listened to him with great interest.

"I'm sorry. I should have taken you with me. I thought you would be safe. But as soon as I left, I knew something was wrong. And then, when I heard you screaming, I knew what Renkotsu was about to do to you," he confessed.

"It's all right. I'm fine so it doesn't matter," Kagome tried to sooth him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Bankotsu's hand caught her's and held it tightly. He looked at Kagome with an expression that made her heart stop.

"I promise nothing like that will ever happen to you again," he assured her as he leaned closer to her.

Kagome felt semi-conscious as she saw that the distance between their faces was only a few inches. He leaned closer to her, his face only a centimeter away when………..

"BANKOTSU!"

Kagome leapt away from him as Jakotsu burst in on them. Holding a hand to her heart, Kagome attempted to steady herself.

_Whoa! Was he about to kiss me?! _she thought.

Her face was a bright red as she realized how close they had been to kissing.

"Bankotsu! Suikotsu won't stop chucking firewood at my head and—Oh, I wasn't interrupting something was I?" he asked.

"I'm going to head back to camp," Kagome said as she quickly stood up and raced off.

Jakotsu watched her run off before turning back to Bankotsu. He was surprised to find his leader glaring maliciously at him.

"What?" he asked cluelessly.

He received a punch in the head from Bankotsu.

"OW! What was that for?!" Jakotsu whined.

Bankotsu didn't answer but stalked back to camp, leaving Jakotsu all by himself.

"Um…… What just happened here?!" Jakotsu asked himself.

**Wow. This one took forever to write. To those devoted readers who have waited patiently for this chapter, I salute you! I hope you enjoyed it! Ban and Kag were so close! Too bad Jakotsu ruined it! It just means you'll have to watch out for the real thing in a later chapter. Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry it took me so long to update! My computer is a piece of shit and has been malfunctioning all summer. My brother just got back from college so I'm using his laptop for the week he's back. So, without further delay, here's your long-awaited chapter!!!!!**

The next few days felt like weeks to Kagome. She felt incredibly awkward around Bankotsu. He didn't try anything else: whether this was good or not, Kagome didn't know. She felt relieved that he was giving her time to recover from the previous day, but also, anxious as to if he'd try and kiss her again. As she walked next to him, she was distracted by loud crashing approaching them.

"KAGOME!!!"

The shout was heard by all of them in the clearing. Moments later, Inuyasha flew through the trees and landed on the ground.

"Bankotsu!" Inuyasha snarled.

"Inuyasha," Bankotsu said levelly.

"You bastard! You're going to pay!" the half-demon seethed.

Behind him, Miroku and Sango raced up with Shippo and Kirara.

"Kagome!" they said, astonished, while the fire-cat simply mewed in surprise.

"Now Bankotsu," Inuyasha said menacingly, "You're going to regret kidnapping Kagome!"

"Wait! Inuyasha stop!" Kagome said.

"He didn't kidnap me! I came with him of my own free will!"

Inuyasha snorted.

"Quit being stupid Kagome! Came of your own free will! Like I'd believe that! You're such an idiot!" he snapped.

Kagome was hurt by his cruel words. She looked down at the ground, fighting off her sadness.

"Hey! Don't call her stupid or an idiot half-breed!" Bankotsu yelled, leaping to Kagome's defense.

"How does me calling her an idiot affect you?" Inuyasha said, glaring at Bankotsu.

"You'd be surprised," Bankotsu retorted.

He wrapped an arm around Kagome and pulled her close to him. Inuyasha's face was filled with shock. It was then replaced with anger.

"You get your hands off her!" he snarled.

"You're going to regret stealing my shard detector!"

Kagome felt stung. She bowed her head, her bangs covering her eyes.

"So all I ever was to you was a shard detector Inuyasha? I wasn't even your friend?" she asked quietly.

Inuyasha looked at her in confusion. There was the sound of movement as Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara got as far away from Inuyasha as possible. Only then did Inuyasha seem to realize his mistake.

"Kagome, I didn't mean… it wasn't meant to… I didn't realize…," he started.

"Inuyasha…," Kagome said.

She looked up with a deadly expression on her face.

"SIT!"

The beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed brightly on Inuyasha's neck before he slammed face first into the ground.

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" she shouted, her rage spilling out with every word.

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT ! SIT ! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT BOY!" she yelled, watching the half-demon smashed repeatedly into the ground, forming a giant crater in the earth.

With Inuyasha knocked seemingly unconscious, Kagome stood glaring at him, breathing heavily from her outburst. She suddenly became aware that there were other people in the clearing besides herself. Looking around, she saw everyone, from the Band of Seven and Inuyasha's group, staring at her in shock. Jakotsu was the first one to speak up.

"Wow Kagome," was all he said.

"Yeah, well, I guess I overdid it a little!" Kagome laughed uncomfortably.

"No you didn't. Inuyasha got what was coming to him," Bankotsu said.

She opened her mouth to respond to him, but was cut off by someone calling her name. She turned around, only to be caught in a bone-crushing hug from Sango.

"Kagome! Oh, I've missed you so much!" she said excitedly, squeezing Kagome even tighter.

"Sango…. can't .…………. breathe….," Kagome whispered through her constricted lungs.

"Oh! Sorry!" she said, quickly releasing her.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry! I got the letter you sent with Kirara, but we couldn't stop Inuyasha from coming after you! He was really mad after he discovered you were gone and weren't home. Then, just now, he caught your scent and went bolting after you before we could stop him!" Sango explained to Kagome, who was still drawing deep breaths into her air deprived lungs.

"That's okay Sango," Kagome said.

"Kagome!" Shippo cried as he leapt off Miroku's shoulder and leapt into her arms.

"Shippo! I hope you've been good while I've been gone!" Kagome said fondly while hugging him.

After she set Shippo down, Miroku approached her.

"Miroku!" she cried.

The monk drew her into a hug.

"Ah, Kagome we've certainly missed you!" he said.

"Kagome, I think we should be going," Bankotsu suddenly said.

Kagome turned to look at him and was surprised to see him looking harshly at Miroku.

"Okay Bankotsu," she said in agreement.

"Kagome, wait."

Kagome looked back at her friends to see them standing right behind her with hopeful expressions on their faces.

"Kagome, we want to come with you," Sango said.

"Come with me?" Kagome asked, astonished.

"Yes. We'd prefer much more to be with you than Inuyasha. Besides, the only reason we put up with him was you Kagome," Miroku said.

"That's very sweet," Kagome said to her friends, "But I don't think that's up for me to decide."

She looked back at Bankotsu with a pleading expression. He looked at her, then Sango and Miroku, and then back at her. Finally, he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"Fine, they can come," he declared.

Kagome felt her heart soar. She jumped up and down excitedly as she beamed at him.

"Oh, thank-you Bankotsu!" she exclaimed.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"Yeah, well, they'd better keep up," he said with another sigh.

Both stared into each others' eyes for the longest time, until Suikotsu coughed loudly. Kagome quickly looked away, blushing profusely. Turning back to her friends, she saw them staring at her curiously.

"Well, um, do you need to get anything before we leave?" she asked awkwardly.

This seemed to snap them back to normal.

"No," Sango said as she strapped the Hiraikotsu onto her back.

"Kagome, we thought you'd want these," Miroku said as he brought her backpack, bow, and quiver of arrows into view.

"Thanks!" Kagome exclaimed, shouldering all three items.

Turning back to Bankotsu, she found him looking right at her.

"We're all ready," she told him.

"All right then. Let's go, since there's not a reason to linger," he said.

Everyone nodded and prepared to go. As they all walked, no one seemed to know or care they had left Inuyasha behind. Leaving him in his still slightly smoldering crater, they all set off together.

**Done! Once again, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! Also, this laptop is only here for a week so I might not be able to update for a while. Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I am back!!!!! Sorry it took so long to update, what with school, Christmas shopping, and lack of creativity. Well, since I'm in the Christmas spirit, I'll give you your long awaited update. Enjoy!!!!!**

Kagome let out a deep sigh. Somehow she knew it would end up like this. Not long after they'd started walking, the pack had dived back into two groups: the former Inuyasha group and what remained of the Band of Seven.

Since neither group would break the ice or attempt to be friendly with each other, Kagome settled on walking in between the two groups. The only problem: Bankotsu insisted on walking next to Kagome. The other Band of Seven members, used to following after Bankotsu, would fall in behind him, forcing the remnants of the Inuyasha group farther back, making Kagome fall back once more.

Kagome falling back, Bankotsu falling back to be with her, the other three Band of Seven members falling back behind Bankotsu, former members of Inuyasha's group forced back behind them. It was a continuous cycle that appeared to not be stopping any time soon. It was beginning to bother Kagome, not only because neither group attempted to merge with the other, but also because they weren't making much progress on their journey.

Finally, after about 17 times through the cycle, Kagome gave up trying to spend time with both groups and settled upon simply walking with Bankotsu. She listened to Sango and Miroku laughing together and she sighed softly. Bankotsu heard her and looked over in concern.

"Something wrong Kagome?" he asked.

She quickly exchanged her look of sadness for one of fake happiness.

"Nothing's wrong!" she falsely assured him.

Seeing his doubting look, she dropped the false happiness and sighed again.

"Well it's just………. I guess I never realized how much I actually missed my friends. And now we're all back to together but I feel like they're still so far away. I guess I'm just feeling a little left out," she told him.

"Well why don't we stop for the night and you can talk to your friends at camp. Maybe you can catch up a bit more," Bankotsu suggested.

Kagome looked up at him with a look of soft gratitude.

"Thanks Bankotsu," she whispered.

She waited next to him while he called to the others that they were stopping for the night. After the men had went about and collected firewood and caught food, Sango made her way over to Kagome.

"Kagome, wouldn't you like to wash up in the spring?" she asked.

"Of course Sango," Kagome replied.

"I'll go with you girls, to stand guard," Miroku offered with a suggestive smile.

"Yeah right you pervert!" Kagome snorted as Sango simply shook her head with an exasperated sigh.

Kagome and Sango collected their toiletries and prepared to go.

"Jakotsu, you coming?" Kagome called.

"Sure!" the feminine make exclaimed as he leapt up from a sitting position.

Kagome picked up Shippo and Kirara and all five set off for the spring. After stripping off their clothes, the three humans and fox demon all migrated into the water, Kirara watching them from the shore. After they all sank into the warm water, Sango spoke up.

"So Kagome…….," she began.

"What's up with you and Bankotsu?"

Kagome, who had been playing with Shippo, did a double take.

"What gave you that impression?!" she demanded.

Sango's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked.

"It is kind of obvious Sister," Jakotsu backed her up.

"With the way you look at him, you'd think you were announcing it to the whole world."

Kagome's face darkened in color.

"Well I do like him………….. a lot actually," she added on seeing the looks on Sango's and Jakotsu's faces.

"But does he feel the same way?" Sango questioned.

"I hope so. I mean, we did almost kiss the other day," she admitted.

Both Sango's and Jakotsu's jaws dropped. They both scurried over to Kagome.

"When was this?!" they both demanded.

Kagome shrank back from them.

"A couple days ago," she stuttered.

"What stopped you?" Sango asked.

"Well, we kind of got interrupted….." she explained.

Jakotsu's face fell.

"That was me, wasn't it? I'm sorry!" he apologized.

"It's alright," Kagome assured him.

Jakotsu still looked distraught while Sango smiled with clasped hands.

"Wow. It's good to know you've moved on past Inuyasha. Bankotsu sounds really sweet and romantic," she sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, he is pretty great," Kagome agreed.

"Well, at this rate we'll be expecting children from you some time soon, right?" Jakotsu teased, elbowing Sango for back up.

But Sango only turned bright red and looked away. Kagome looked at her closely before she was distracted by Jakotsu.

"Well, I'm beginning to look like a prune. I think it's time to get out. Also, a certain someone might be beginning to worry about you," he said with a grin.

In response, she splashed him in the face with water, and only stopped when he agreed to stop joking on her.

"At least, for now," he muttered.

As she Kagome dried off and Jakotsu changed into his clothes, she realized Sango was missing. Looking back at the water, she was surprised to see her best friend still there, staring blankly at nothing.

"Sango?" she called out.

The demon slayer snapped out of her daze and looked at the school girl.

"Sorry Kagome. What were you saying?" she asked.

"We're getting out. You coming back with us?" Kagome questioned.

"Yeah, sure. Hang on," Sango murmured as she swam to shore and dried off.

After everyone was changed back into their clothes and semi-dry, the group headed back to their camp. When they came upon the clearing, they spotted Suikotsu tending to the fire, Miroku staring off into the distance, and Bankotsu rubbing down Banryu.

Sango immediately went up to Miroku.

"Um, Miroku? Would you come with me for a moment?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course Sango," he said before getting up.

After they both walked off, Bankotsu waved Kagome over to him. She sat down next to him, staring at him attentively.

"How was your bath?" he asked.

"Good," she responded, flipping wet hair out of her face.

"How was camp while I was gone?" she asked.

"Boring," he moaned.

Kagome cocked her head to the side.

"Why?" she asked.

He turned and looked at her with a grin.

"Because you weren't here," he pouted.

Kagome giggled and scooted closer to him.

"Well, now I'm back. Better?" she asked softly, so only he could hear.

He slinked an arm around her shoulders.

"Much," he said softly.

Both remained like that, watching with amusement as Jakotsu and Suikotsu argued over who had the better weapon. A few minutes later, the sound of crunching grass announced the return of Miroku and Sango. Kagome was surprised to see Sango racing up to her, a look of excitement, delight, and fear on her face, Miroku behind her positively beaming.

"Kagome, I have something to ask you," Sango announced excitedly, practically bouncing on her feet.

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

Sango looked back at Miroku, who nodded encouragingly to her, before turning back and telling her.

"Kagome, how would you like……… to be a godmother?" she asked.

Kagome froze at her words before leaping off the ground.

"Oh my god!!!!!! Sango, you're pregnant?!" she cried.

When she nodded her head excitedly, Kagome was jumping up and down, just as excited.

"Oh my go, oh my god!!!!!!! When did this happen?! With whom?!" she asked quickly.

Then she looked back at the smiling Miroku before looking back at Sango in shock.

"With Miroku?! When did you two- was this while I was gone?!" she demanded.

"Yes," Sango admitted sheepishly.

"Wow Sango. I never thought you'd give in to Miroku that easily," Kagome said in shock.

At this, Sango blushed deep red while Miroku came up and embraced her from behind.

"We're both really excited Kagome," he assured her.

"Yes. I'm really excited and a little frightened, but I know I'll be all right because I have Miroku," she admitted with a smile.

"And we really would like you to be our child's godmother," Miroku pressed on.

"Miroku, Sango: I'd be honored," she declared.

Both had broad smiles stretch across their faces.

"Thank-you Kagome," they both said in unison.

"Well," Kagome started with a smile," Now that you're expecting a baby, I think it's time we went into overdrive to defeat Naraku and start preparations on your wedding."

"But the most pressing matter still is Naraku, especially now that Sango won't be fighting him with us," Miroku reminded her.

"And now, I think it's time a certain someone goes and gets some rest."

"Alright Miroku," Sango relented.

As Miroku led Sango to a comfortable spot to sleep, Kagome returned to Bankotsu, who was eying the happy couple across from him.

"So the monk and the demon-slayer are together?" he asked.

"Yes; and it's about damn time," Kagome grumbled.

"Wow- you just cursed," he said in mock shock.

"You must be tired to make you that ornery."

Kagome smiled and yawned.

"Just a little," she said in a hushed tone.

She rested her head on his chest and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They both sat together, staring off into the distance. Miroku and Sango lay embracing each other across from them, Kirara lay snoozing a little ways off from the fire, Shippo cuddling into her fur, while Jakotsu and Suikotsu lay on Ginkotsu, kicking each other every so often, Ginkotsu watching them in irritation.

All was well in their lives for just that night as they all drifted to sleep.

**Holy Schnikes!!!!!!! I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated!!!!! Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't think I've ever written so much in one chapter before. Consider it as my gift to you for making you wait so long. Anyways, please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11**


	15. Chapter 15

**ALERT - AUTHOR'S NOTE AHEAD - PLEASE READ:**

**Hello readers - me again. I know it's been forever since I last updated, and that isn't fair for any of you. However, I have had several incidents the past year that have prevented me from even thinking about writing, let alone actually do it. **

**So with this complete isolation from writing, I have lost my train of thoughts and story line for my BanxKag story. I have absolutely no idea where to go from here.**

**However - **

**I still wish to continue writing this story until it's completed to the satisfaction of you, the readers.**

**So here's the big favor I ask of all of you - if you can, throw some ideas my way, preferably in a private message, so I can try to form a story plan for this fanfic. If you can do that for me, I will not only be indebted to you, but I will try my hardest to get out more chapters and finish this story by the end of the year.**

**Your lost and confused author,**

**~NxS007**


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